In the 2000s, global sales of pay-TV set-tops boomed, as operators raced to keep up with consumer demand for digital video recorders, HD and digital cable.
But all winning streaks eventually come to an end. With American and European pay-TV markets saturated with digital subscribers, the global telecom business consolidating, and traditional set-top functions like the DVR migrating to the cloud, Arris/Pace, Cisco, Technicolor, EchoStar and other leading set-top vendors now find their industry in recession.
For the first time since 2002, the industry actually shrank on a yearly basis in 2014, down 4 percent to $15.3 billion, according to research firm IHS. In our latest special report, FierceCable looks at the dynamics slowing this once fast-paced market. We also look at what needs to happen for this sector to return to growth mode.
You can read the full feature here.
--Daniel